Seeking Information on the MMR Vaccine.

I was concerned about the MMR and autism so I spoke to my doctor and she agreed to do the shots separately each one month apart. We have not issues and have a happy health 7 year old

Wait at least until she is at least 20lbs. My son is 16 months and still hasn't had it. I have gone back an forth on giving it to him or not because of the of autism and the MMR shot in boys. I don't think it is much of an issue in girls but I would wait until she is healthy and she is of weight.

Google Dr. Sherri Tenpenny and you will get lots of excellent researched information on vaccines.
E.

Hi S.,

I am an Alternative Health Practitioner. I have beaen in the field for 30 years. I am an advocate of no vaccines. When you realize that by the time a child is 6 months ol, they can have as many as 30 vaccines in them. Also when youlook at the increase in autism from 1-10,000 to 1-l50, we have to look to the cause of this debilitating condition. As someone who realizes that big pharma is constantly putting things into our bodies that are destructive and cause so many side effects, it is important to become knowledgable about these things so that we can make decisions about them that will help us to create healthy children and healthy adults as well. You may contact me through my e-mail ____@____.com if you would like further information.

Blessings,

J. Sanders
Alternative Health Practitioner
kaysnutrition.com

this is a really personal decision as so many other moms have said. i just believe everyone should make an educated decision. i am posting my list of resources below - feel free to ask me any questions or add to my 'collection'!!! as for us - we have chosen to wait. it's a daily consideration - and one we have been happy with so far. my 3 1/2 year old has never had antibiotics, tylenol, tradtional medicines. most kids i know who are not vaxed - are very healthy but they also have parents who make sure they are eating healthy which definitely makes a difference to one's immune system. we treat all of our illnesses with homeopathic remedies, traditional osteopathy, accupuncture and chinese herbs and supplements. we are not anti western med at all - see a time and place for it - but view medicine as preventitive rather than reactive. if you do decide to vaccinate - just make sure your child is not sick and hasn't been for a few days before. if you can - make sure they are as calm as can be for the actual shot. and if you notice any reaction - report it and keep note of it for future reference.
hope this helps!
J.

Vaccination Information

Books:
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations By Stephanie Cave, M.D., F.A.A.F.P. (pro vaccine)

Vaccines: Are They Really Safe And Effective? By Neil Miller.
The Vaccine Guide By Randall Neustaedter (non vaxer).

Natural Family Living By Peggy O'Mara, the publisher of Mothering Magazine.

I village has some great message boards – for vax debate, non-vax support and many other boards (breastfeeding, etc)

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/main.asp?webtag=iv-pp...

Article:
Deadly Immunity by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – EXCELLENT article!!! I have a copy I can email to you.

Video:
Dr. Jay Gordon’s seminar at the Skirball Cultural Center – the first event in the “Well Loved Baby” series called “Vaccinations?” - www.childcaremedia.com/dvdproducts.php

Websites:
www.mothering.com
www.drfeder.com
www.drjaygordon.com

http://www.whale.to/a/hoax.html

www.909shot.com

http://www.909shot.com/state-site/state-exemptions.htm - state exemption laws

www.tetrahedron.org

www.vaclib.org

www.thinktwice.com.

http://www.mmrfacts.nhs.uk/library/timeline.php?t=showall or search NHS

http://www.cispimmunize.org/fam/thimrosal.html

http://www.cispimmunize.org/fam/mmr/a_faq.html

http://www.cispimmunize.org/fam/mmr/a_report.html

http;//www.aap.org/advocacy/archives/julvacc.htm

http://www.medalerts.org/ (where also is found an online, searchable version of the VAERS database. Just have a look at what that thing is saying about the Hepatitis B vaccine! )

http://www.nmaseminars.com/

http://www.whale.to/vaccines.html

http://www.mercola.com/

http://www.mercola.com/article/vaccines/immune_suppressio...
http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/list01.htm

http://www.proliberty.com/observer/

And, the following article on the Hep B vaccine is excellent:
http://www.insightmag.com/news/438502.html
"The EPA limit is 0.1 micrograms of mercury per kilogram body weight per day. It doesn't take a genius to do the calculations when on their day of birth children are given the hepatitis B vaccine, which is 12.5 micrograms of mercury. The average newborn weighs between 6 and 7 pounds, so they would be allowed 0.3 micrograms of mercury - but in this one shot they are getting 12.5 micrograms. That's 39 times more than allowed by law. And it gets worse when you consider that children are getting multiple vaccinations at 2 months. And this limit is for *oral ingestion* and not injection, which is much worse."

http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm (the vaccines shaded in grey are no longer produced)

It's so nice to see so many Moms with such gentle and supportive advice!! :) I wanted to add that Dr Lauren Feder who is an MD as well as a certified homeopathist has a new book out entitled The Parent's Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations (Practical Medical and Natural Ways to Protect Your Child). This is a very well-balanced book and has some excellent information on every vaccine out there as well as alternative vaccination schedules. She also gives several things that you can give your child before and after vaccines to help the body deal with the insult of a vaccination. Her office offers homeopathic alternatives to vaccinations and can seperate any vaccination (including MMR which is advised). Note: the DTaP vaccine cannont be separated because the pertussis vaccination is not available in single dose. She is in LA. Her office # is ###-###-####. I hope this is helpful :)

Mothering.com has a very active a knowledgeable anti-vaccine discussion board.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/

The current magazine article has a shocking article on how much aluminum is in the shots. Way above the current safe levels for babies, according to the FDA.

Both of my children ahve been vaccinated with no ill effects. I don't know if I would have done it if they were so small though. Don't do anything that you are not comfortable with. Pediatricians don't know everything. I had to do a lot of my own researcha and follow my own instincts with my 3 year old child ( He had some significant delays due to an in-utero stroke). I picked a different treatment plan for him than my pediatritian recommended, but when she realized I was serious, she ended up helping a lot and giving me some good referrals. For the anti-view on vaccines, there is a man, Stan Kurtz who runs a preschool in Van Nuys and is on the board of directors at Hand in Hand development center. He cured his son of autism, is Jenny Mc Carthy's autism coach, and put my son on a special diet (he is not autistic but has an immature digestive system) that improved his development so much is 3 months, that he is considered cured. Stan has done so much research on all of this stuff and loves to share what he knows. He has strong opinions so be warned. He is at www.stankurtz.com Good luck with whatever you decide.

I may be old school but both of my kids have had ALL of the recommended vaccinations...they are 16 & 12. They never had any reaction to them and they are both healthy and smart boys. They hardly ever get colds or the flu and I don't remember the last time my 16yr was on an antibiodic. I believe that giving your kids vaccinations is a PERSONAL choice and nothing else. I know people who don't vaccinate their kids and honestly...every time I turn around they are sick....with the flu, cold, ear infections and so on. I say do what you feel is best for your child and family in relation to your own personal experiences and beliefs. Educate yourself to some extent but sometimes reading too much about a topic will only confuse you further. Good Luck.

My kids see Dr. Peter Sears and there is a book called "The Vaccine Book" that I looked at while I was in the office and it seemed to have a very good outlook regarding the vaccine debate. I think the book was written by Dr. Robert Sears but it gave parents that were questioning vaccines the one he though were the most important. The website is: https://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/. Hope this helps

You know, it's odd.. everyone nowadays links every little thing to autism, and whatnot.. the fact is, 18 months old, is when you can test them for autism... i work in special ed, and while it seems that it would be the MMR shot, you can get it without the Thimersol (sp), and regardless, either your kidwill be autistic or not. It's not something i believe is reloated to the shots... However, one scientist will always have another scientist disagree.. It's a matter of opinion, I guess... I can only say that with the autistic kids that I do know, worked with, and who's parents I know well, the shots had nothing to do with it. I can list on two hands, the number of parents, that decided NOT to immunize any more children after having an autistic child, and they were STILL raising more autistic children. SO really, it begs the question if it's predisposed, or if it's caused by vaccination. personally, I dont believe the MMR has anything to do with it. You either have the gene that will cause it, or youd on't.. I think the MMR just exposes and brings to surface what's already predisposed in the body. That's just my personal opinion though...my baby just turned one, and will personally wait myself until he's 18 months old as well, to do the testing, etc before giving him the MMR.. just go with your gut instinct.. There's WONDERFUL information on here, but just remember, science hasn't technically isolated the MMR as a reason for autism.. but again, what one scientist believes can always be disputed by another reputable one.. it's confusing, I know.. Good luck with your decision though! I just thought I shoudl offer a different perspective...

Hi S.,

I understand your concern. I have two sons 11 and 2. We did a lot of reading for our first son and we put off giving it to him until he was two. There was a school of thought that felt that at this time he was more able to handle the vaccination. The main reason we did it though, was that we moved from the UK to the US and we knew we would have to jump through hoops explaining why he didn't have it.

With our second son we did it earlier but gave the vaccination separately. Some paediatricians won't split it up but ours does and I'm happy to give you her details if you need it.

Good luck. It is so hard to know what is best to do sometimes. I have other friends who have not vaccinated their children at all and do everything with homeopathy. That is expensive and a lot of work and effort, however, they are the healthiest brightest children!
Best, J. G

When it comes to vaccinations it is a very personal decision. There are alot of people on both sides usually with very strong opinions about what the right thing is.

My parents were both vaccinated, with no concerns. They did not vaccinate any of us kids and did not really discuss what or why, they just said it is a decision I have to make and they hope that I would make sure it was an informed decision. I did alot of research and my decision was to vaccinate but to separate them when ever possible and space them out over time. The schedule is a recommendation not a requirement.

It was not until I married my husband that I changed my course of action and it was based on his family history. His 2 brothers and 4 cousins had moderate reactions and my husband had severe reactions to ALL of the vaccines. Because the families were in the military at the time (30+ years ago) they were not given the option to separate, delay or refuse any of the vaccines, so all of the kids had anything and everything that was available. If mom did not bring baby in according to the schedule, or refused them at the doctor's visit, dad was pulled from duty, reprimanded by his superiors and was required to make it happen as immediately as possible. Little concern seemed to be given to the child's well being.

Things are very different now and as parents it is our decision and responsiblity. We did not vaccinate any of our children and if we do adopt a child we will discuss (based on what family history information is available) whether we feel it is appropriate. It is hard to know, with 100% assurity, what the right decision is. I did alot of research, spent alot of time weighing both sides, discussing things with my husband, praying that we would make the right decision, while asking alot of people why they did or didn't (leaving everyone else's OPINION as to whether it is right or wrong in the back seat). I had talked to 4 doctors (over the past 10 years, 12 or more doctors) I have only had 2 doctors who completely agreed with my decision, usually they say they don't feel the family history is reason to be concerned or to refuse them completely. No one sees things exactly the same.

In the end my only concern is what is best for my children, their health and well being. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt or put at risk my children. If you have concerns don't dismiss them simply because general recommendation says 1 year. Your concern is and should always be your child, if you don't feel she is ready then wait. Being a good mom is doing what is best for your children, no matter what.

I wish you the best.
T.

I recommend The Vaccine Book by Dr. Bob Sears. We also go to Sears Pediatrics and at this point my 5 year old daughter has not had the MMR and so far the plan for me is to give her one a year starting next fall. There is so much information out there on vaccines it can be so overwhelming. We have been delaying most and there a couple they won't get. I go back and forth on the MMR but as of right now, my kids will get it just later and one at a time. Do your research and don't be afraid to ask your ped. questions. The best advice I got from our Dr. was if I was at all undecided, then to just not give it at that time and do my research. My Dr. doesn't discourage them, but he does want me informed and comfortable with my decisions. Good luck to you!
M.

I totally understand. I am a mommy of two girls, both slight in weight with allergies. I waited until they were 2 years old to give them the vaccine and both are fine. My policy with vaccines is that they need them, but I only allow one at a time with 4 week intervals (at least), in between, and with MMR my husband and I decided that for all our children we would do this particular vaccine at age 2 or after. This experience has been good for me, my girls are both healthy and doing great! I hope this information helps you a bit :)

(I am a mom of two little girls, 2 and 4, married for 10 years and run a successful photography company (Bella Rosa Photography) so I can be at home with my little ones).

do not give it to your baby until the outside age, or later, and maximum weight. do not give it to her at the minimum age or weight. do not give it to her in combination with any other vaccines. do not ever give your child more than one vaccine at a time.
the autism rates the State of California are said to be above other states. California is the only state ordering MMR so young, as I recall.
that is the vaccine that a friend's normal boy had just before he became autistic. He will never be normal. There have been other concerns expressed within the state of California about a correlation with the vaccine and rise of autism. I recently read another article, i can't recall source at this moment, which says that the preservative to help storage and lower cost is a derivative of mercury. i know that thimerazol may be the medium in the vaccine which preserves it. I believe that it is from mercury. vaccinated children with problems have been found to have elevated levels of mercury, beyond what is recognized as safe. i may have read this in the Link newspaper, which cited sources. Trying to recall. Some contact lens rinses used to have thimerazol. My eyes would instantly get bloodshot and swollen. It was witnessed by the physician. Thank goodness my allergy showed. I'd hate to use daily mercury doses.
and with the oral polio vaccine, that's live virus. Ask for killed virus. Live prevents kid from spreadin it to others. Killed just protects your child. Live has more risk. killed is injected. too bad. my kid had one dose of oral and wound up in emergency with all symptoms of polio. he was tiny. they were taking blood out of his jugular vein to get to test. pitiful. they admitted they could not do anything for him.
A nurse showed me his elevated heartrate and how to read the machine. Then, physician came in and said "well, if his heartrate was elevated above ___ we'd have to keep him overnight. But it's not elevated, so he can go home." he just didn't want to be responsible in case it was polio. I took my son home. I prayed. His father prayed. he recovered. and i was told never give him live again. only give him killed virus. never trust the hmo who prepares more than one thing at a time for your child. they just want to be more cosst effective on your visit. they don't put your child's overloading his/her system first.
go to the CDC website. in the days they were saying it was ok to give babies live virus, i saw the hmo had given it below the minimal age recommended. you are the parent. you must check the CDC (center for disease control) and other vaccine comment sites. now, CDC agrees with me.

thinktwice.com I support the work of this organization. they are supported, also, by a man who WAS one of the scientists who helped "invent" the newest formulas for vaccines. By the way his son is autistic and he says it is because of THIS vaccine. He has since had 3 other children all of which are UN-immunized.

Hi S.,

I have two girls 5 & 6. I will tell you what I did with both and remember that the vaccinations and the ages given are only time-tables with suggested ages for the injections. Since the girls did not need proof of vaccinations until they registered for kindergarten I actually waited until a few months before we registered them for school. So my girls were over 4 years old at the time they received the injections. We have a lot of information on this topic but the bottom line is that we as mothers have the final say for our children. Remember this and protect your beautiful baby.
Good luck,
M. :)

Any time the doctor recomends any shots do them at recommended time. This really helps keep them on track for all of their shots. It helps them from being sick at all times. I have 4 children from 3 yrs. - 20 yrs and I always did them at recom. time. I know those who haven't and their children have paid the price.
thanks,
S.
cookie lee consultant

DON'T VACCINATE YOUR KIDS AT ALL. KNOW THAT WE AS MOTHERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE. IT IS NOT A LAW. WHEN THEY NEED IT FOR SCHOOL, GET A RELIGIOUS WAIVER. RELIGION IN THE DICTIONARY IS NOT NECESSARILY ANY ONE DENOMINATION BUT A PERSONAL CONVICTION AND BELIEF SYSTEM...WELL I HAVE A RELIGION BUT I ALSO HAVE A PERSONAL CONVICTION FOR THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF MY CHILDREN. WHY IS IT THAT OUR BABIES, BY THE TIME THEY ARE 18 MONTHS WOULD HAVE RECEIVED 37 SHOTS? FOR WHAT? THEY ARE THE PUREST CREATURES ON THE EARTH AND WE CONTAMINATE THEM THE MINUTE THEY LEAVE THE WOMB. HEP B, THE ONE GIVEN BEFORE YOUR NEWBORN GOES HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL CAN ONLY BE TRANSMITTED THROUGH SEXUAL CONTACT, SHARING NEEDLES, OR BEING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY. SO, UNLESS YOU PLAN ON EXPOSING YOUR NEWBORN TO THESE THINGS, WHY WOULD YOU NEED THIS SHOT. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, ALL HIB VACCINATIONS THAT WERE GIVEN WITHIN A TWO WEEK PERIOD WERE RECALLED DUE TO E. COLI AND SALMONELLA BEING PRESENT IN THEM AND PATIENTS WERE HAVING HORRIBLE REACTIONS TO THEM...IF THIS IS ONE INCIDENCE, HOW DO WE KNOW IF OTHER VACCINATIONS ARE CONTAMINATED. IT IS NOT SAFE...WE MOTHERS NEED TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE A CHOICE! MY BABY IS DEVELOPING EARLIER WITHOUT THEM, SHE'S BRIGHT, ACTIVE, AND JUST SO MUCH MORE ALERT THAN I'VE EVER SEEN ANY OF MY BABIES. THEY SAY VACCINATIONS ARE NEEDED TO "PROTECT" OUR CHILDREN FROM THE HARMFUL DISEASES OF THE PAST...THEY SAY IT IS BECAUSE OF VACCINATIONS THAT DISEASE WENT DOWN IN THE COUNTRY BUT NO, DISEASE HAS GONE DOWN SIMPLY DUE TO IMPROVEMENTS IN SOCIETY...BETTER SEWAGE SYSTEMS, WATER SYSTEMS, INFRASTRUCTURE...YOU NAME IT. NOW SHOULD THERE BE A BREAKOUT AND MY CHILD NEEDS A SHOT, THEN YOU BET I'LL BE THE FIRST ONE AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE...BUT THERE IS NO NEED TO GET SHOTS FOR A DISEASE THAT MAY NOT BE RELEVANT FOR YOUR CHILD, WHERE YOU LIVE, ETC. thIS IS JUST MY TAKE ONE THIS...POWER TO YOU THOUGH ON EVEN WAITING TO SEE WHEN THE MMR WOULD BE RIGHT FOR YOUR BABY.

ANONYMOUS

You have received so much great advice here, and lots of links and information that can help you in this decision. I know it is so overwhelming tho. For every article or website you see for not vaccinating you can find so many others that support it. Equally frustrating is dealing with pediatricians. I just wanted to say, I too struggled and continue to struggle with this whole vaccination issue. What I kept coming back to was my gut, that gut feeling or mommy intuition. Go with it. If you are questioning it, that should tell you something.

Dr. Sears has a book "The Vaccine Book" available for 13.99, at www.mothering.com/shop.
He looks at each disease/vaccine pair, and presents reasons for and again.

The measles in the MMR is a live vaccine. My experience is rare, but my oldest son got the measles from the shot. He was very sick for at least a month. With my youngest I decided not to do that shot just yet. My doctor also told me that you can have the 3 things done seperatly. I will do that, but omit the measles. Good luck with what ever your decision is!

Dear S.,
i am sure I am one of the ones who gives rare advice---for I am somewhat of a purist on nutrition---I had two pain-free childbirths---i did lots of swimming, stretching, and some pre-natal herbs designed for childbirth, from Dr. Christopher's brand, I think it is called Nature's Way. Even my first birth, when I was 29 years old, was quick and brief. I dilated from 3 cm to 10 cm in 45 min--and she was out--in 3 puches--wow. Tthey couldn't believe it!I was blessed with some miracles, for sure! I learned how to breatsfeed easily, too, and went on to love the whole experience---being allowed the time to really enjoy it for a long time with both of my babies. At any rate, I DON'T believe in vaccinations for under 12 months. I say, better at age 5yrs. old. Any question? Just write back, please. Bless you! ~~P.

What I did with both my kids was wait until they showed signs of normal growth and did not show signs of having autism. Then I gave them both the MMR. So basically I waited until both my kids were 2. They are now 2 1/2 and 3 1/2. I did do the measles part of it early with one of them because there was a breakout somewhere in the midwest, but other than that I waited.

On another note, I did all shots when I felt 100% comfortable with doing them. Sometimes they shots were right on schedule and sometimes we waited (like if they were sick or I felt that their immune system was down). I think that with shots you go with your gut. I really think that the mother knows best.

With my daughter who came out of the womb really strong I felt more comfortable giving her more shots at one time. Or "on schedule" I should say. With my son whose a little under weight and developing slower (as boys do) I just have taken my time. I will give him two and then come back in a month and give him the other, etc. Though I split the MMR with both of them, I did get the chicken pox vaccine for both of them. Split up.

There is no solid research saying there is any link to autism due to the MMR shot, but I do feel that there may be some credibility to the thought that giving so many shots before the age of three is not good for EVERY child. EVERY child is different, every immune system is different and we are talking about very young children who haven't developed at all. Look at you little girl, the size of her little body and think how many shots she is given in the first few years of life...it is quite a bit.

Do what is most comfortable for you. I have never had any doctor push shots on me when I have said I will take one and wait on another, so I am sure your doctor will work with you.

Good luck and remember you are the best advocate for your own child.

E.

Hi S.,
I am a Chiropractor and I teach in the biology department at our local acupuncture college. You can tell your pediatrician that you want your daughter on a a "delayed" immunization schedule. They should not pressure you to get her vaccinated if you tell them that you want her vacinated but not on the "regualr" schedule. My daughter (4) has only had very few of the immunizations and no one gives me a hard time. She's even in pre-school and I just sign the waiver. I always recommend waiting till the child is at least 18 months old to recieve the MMR vaccine (if at all). I even recommend waiting until 2 years old once the child's immune system is more developed. One last comment, since my daugther has had some vaccines last year, she has been constantly sick! She was never sick before, she went to daycare before pre-school, was around LOTS of people, and now since those shots, she's sick all the time!!!!! Good luck!

I have 4 children and one was negatively affected by the MMR. Since then we wait. I waited till they were 2 yrs. what we did was get with our Dr. and we stretch out all the vaccinations so that when it time to vaccinate, everyone in the office knew that they were not behind but stretched out. You can always wait and give the MMR vaccination at a later age or you can ask your Dr. and ask if they can separate the vaccination or if he/she knows of a manufacturer that does separate the vaccination. My opinion is to wait for as long as you can. Don't give multi shots...you don't know which one will effect the child so I would wait 1 1/2 month then come back and give the second shoot. hope that helps

I recommend www.westonaprice.org. It is a useful resource. Definitely not in favor of any vaccinations. Good luck with this difficult decision.

A. T.

S.,
I recommend reading a few books on vaccines. Here are two:
The Sanctity of Human Blood by Dr. Tim O'Shea
Vaccines: Are They Really Safe & Effective by Neil Z. Miller
After becoming more informed about the effectiveness and safety you could make the best decision for your daughter. I, personally wouldn't do it. But I am not vaccinating my baby boy at all. Just be well informed first. How many kids do you know that have had measles, mumps or rubella? Whether or not you believe the vaccines are the reason - 'the herd' is vaccinated and protects the rest. My mom had measles when she was a kid and it wasn't that bad. Now she is truly immune for life. If you decide to do it, you do NOT have to follow the CDC's and pediatrician's schedule. I'm 38 and had about 6 vaccinations total as a kid. Have you ever wondered why there are over 60 on the schedule now by the time your child is 18? ? And you, by CA law, can decline for 'religious' reasons. Although, a lot of pediatrician's won't continue to see your daughter as a patient if you don't vaccinate. This is bullying to me and takes away your rights as a parent, which is very upsetting to me. But you can see Dr. Jay Gordon in Santa Monica, Dr. Paul Fleiss in Los Feliz, Dr. Brusseau in Pasadena or Dr. Lauren Feder in LA. Vaccines are BIG profits for drug companies, as well as a substantial amount of a pediatrician's profits. I don't think pediatrician's have ill intent. I think they just do as they've learned. But a survey done on OB/GYN's at Cedar Sinai proved that over 80% of them would not get the rubella vaccination themselves if pregnant. Good Luck - and do your research! If you decide to do it, you can certainly wait until she is older and weighs more.
D.

YEAH S.!
Good for you for looking into it!
I think you have had some AWESOME advice here already, but I would HIGHLY recommend to continue breast feeding, if you are a nursing mom, because THAT is the best protection you can give your child.
I, like many moms out there, have chosen to STOP vaccinating my little girl and have not gotten a single one for my little boy (autistm is higher in boys, so i delved a bit deeper when i was pregnant with my baby boy and chose to steer clear of all the eye drops and shots at the hospital AND all vaccinations thus far- i have even been kicked out of a pediatricians practise for not following the word of God- well, he thought he was god anyway! :( FIND A GOOD PEDIATRICIAN THAT IS RESPECTFUL!!!).
If we are to do any vaccinations at all, ever, then it would be after my little man is AT LEAST 2 years old, but honestly, i probably will not do a single one.
I am totally against putting poison and cancer causing agents into my children, so putting those vaccines in there fits into that category.
Many people have no idea that their baby shampoo has cancer causing agents in it though.............take a look at J and J baby shampoo, and Giggles and Grins, all sorts of every day products have these types of ingredients........Q-15 or Quarternium-15 is a cancer causing agent.
I digress.
Anyhow, good for you for looking into what YOU need to do as a mother to feel good about your decision and make the right choice for you and your family!
I AM PROUD OF YOU and i am so proud of all the moms who have responded as well!
YEAH!!!
S.
www.MomsOnAMission.US

My first had a very bad reaction. If I had already chosen to immunize (which I have not chosen to do with my second and I stopped after that experience with my first) I would probably NOT do it in batch form. I would seperate the immunization for Measles, the one for Mumps and the one for Rubella and space them apart considerably. I think the Dr. Sears book is out on this now. You might want to look at that. If your little one is at home with you and doesn't have alot of interaction with other children you have a lower risk. There's alot of information out there. Just get as much information as you can and remember, you're making the best choice you can for you and your family. There's no right or wrong. Everyone's different.

When my daughter was 18 months old (she is now 16)she had a booster shot which included mmr. She had a reaction which stripped her intestines of flora, she had repeated ear infections after that with high fevers, etc. I can't say for sure it was the shot, but if I had it to do over again, I would pick and choose only the vaccines I wanted and mmr would probably not be in there. I can't speak about rhubella, but I lived through measles and mumps and am just fine. I think we inject our kids with too much. You can wait as long as you want to give this to her. just my thought...

hi,
the best advice I can give you is to research and ask advice, which you are doing.
personally, research has supported our decision making process when it comes to vaccines. through our research, i feel like our decisions are educated and best reflect each child. www.mercola.com is a great place to start. not only does he provide a researched point of view but he provides links for further investigation.

good luck.
jsk

Hi S.,

Let me second the advice to read Dr. Sears' "The Vaccine Book." It distills a load of info into easy to digest pieces and lets you make your own decision while offering definitive guidance should you get to the end and still feel overwhelmed. When my daughter was 6 weeks old, I was up all night online reading everything. My brain was spinning. Dr. Sears book was such a find and helped me immensely.

My daughter is 5 mos old now and she is on a staggered schedule where she receives one or two vaccines at 30 day intervals - some vaccines we plan to skip altogether. Our Dr. was reluctant at first, but now seems fine with the plan. I feel confident that we are reducing side effects by splitting up the shots, giving her little body more time to create immunities and process out the sometimes scary stuff that is in the mixtures.

I believe that as long as you educate yourself and feel empowered by your doctor to do what's best for your child, you really can't make the wrong choice on this one.

I suggest checking out DrJaygordon.com He is a pediatrician that practices I believe in Santa Monica? Anyways he is very supportive of waiting on vaccines etc.. and has lots of great info for parents about medical issues. Good luck and Blessings
S. M

Hi S.. I understand your nerves about the MMR vaccine, many mothers I know are particularly nervous about this one. One very important thing to know is that the only research study that has ever shown MMR to be dangerous (i.e. related to autism) was shown to be totally falsified. The physician running it (Andrew Wakefield) in England lied and fabricated his results. Unfortunately we don't know what causes autism, but when we started vaccinating children and when the rates of autism started to rise are not related (the rise in austim being very recent.)
Here is a website about vaccine info that I like: http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=...
There's no harm in waiting until she gains more weight if you're more comfortable with that though. Also, there is no longer any mercury at all in any routine child vaccination (the only one would be the FLU vaccine, which is optional and available in a special mercury free vaccine for children under 3 years).
I hope this helps!!

My daughter was only about 15 pounds at one year and we gave her the mmr vaccine. She is 21 months now and has had no reaction to the vaccine. She is extrememly healthy and I did a lot of reading and talking to her dr. before I finally agreede to give it to her.

I am an educational therapist who has seen autism on the rise. Many parents who have children with autism noticed the autism appear approximately 6 months after the MMR. Doctors don't tell you this, but you can split the shot into 3 separate shots over 3 months, which diminishes the amount of the mercury containing preservative that potentially causes autism. It is painful and your doctor may disapprove, but potentially exposing your child to autism may be more painful in the long run.

Here is a good start...

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/

Also, www.mothering.com is a great source for vaccine info.

I applaud you for doing the research instead of just doing what your doctor tells you to. We do all we can to make sure what our kids eat is healthy, but then we so easily let them be injected with an insane amount of chemicals (vaccines) - there is a disconnect somewhere, I think. We have not given our 1-year-old ANY vaccines at all, so you are not alone in questioning this :)

One more thing, if you look at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) website (www.cdc.gov) and you look at the statistics on how prevalent mumps, measles, rubella, polio etc. are, it might give you some insight into how rare these things are that we are vaccinating for.

Good luck!

You might check out Mothering Magazine's website
www.mothering.com
It's biased against over-vaccinating and leans against vaccines in general, but it is very well researched and attempts to be balanced.
I was very slow with my son's vaccines; had an understanding pediatrician.
Good luck
R.

S.,
To my knowledge weight is not a contraindication to the vaccine. You can check the CDC website and also the Merck (manufacturer of the vaccine) website for further information regarding the MMR vaccine. The vaccine is given to children as young as 6 months if there is an outbreak in the area they live in. The problem with giving the vaccine under 12 months is that the immune system is not capable of developing a high titer of antibodies to the virus. Therefore, the vaccine is not as effective and the child must be revaccinated and you want to try to avoid having extra shots. Studies have found that infants over 12 months have a much higher rate of successful vaccination. I would speak to your health care provider if you have any concerns.

My daughter did not reach 20 pounds till she was about 18 months. She received her vaccinations without any problems. Hope this info helped.
D.

I found some interesting information on the internet. I am concerned because some studies link Autism to the MMR vaccine. They have found that some companies use the preservative Thimerosal and it contains 49% Mercury. Which is highly toxic to Humans. Anyway, you have the option of even waiting until they are in their early teens. I would talk to your pediatrician and find out what they are using and see what He/She recommends?

Hi S.
Please research the dangers of vaccinations at any age. There are many websites that have many facts about the true dangers of the mmr. My husband works at a state hospital and sees that children that were growing normally that were then vaccinated come down with autism, allergies, and many other thinks. PLEASE, PLEASE check out the facts. YOu can email and I have quite a bit of information about this. ____@____.com